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Burn your books! [eReaders] are here!

eReaders are devices that have been around for fucking ever, but have remained largely niche devices, appealing only to the geekiest of the tech geeks. Then Amazon dropped the Kindle bomb, and the market just exploded.

These things are ubiquitous now, and your mom is probably reading one right now.

In case you've been living under a rock, and have no idea what I'm talking about, let's go over the major contendors (assuming nobody released another goddamed version while I've been updating this OP).

The Amazon Kindle

This is the third generation Kindle hardware, and a number of changes have occurred since the last hardware revision. The body, though similar looking to the Gen 2 Kindle, is 21% smaller, while retaining the same size screen, and the weight has been similarly reduced. Additionally, the battery life has been doubled to last up to a month with wireless turned off.

Aside from color choices, there are also four variations of the 6" device, one with 3G capabilities, which has been standard since the Kindle was first announced, and a cheaper wi-fi only version, which was a direct response to growing competition from the Kobo and Nook. In May 2011, Amazon announced a third and fourth ad-supported versions of the Kindle device. Instead of the standard screen saver the Kindle displays when the device is in sleep-mode, special offers from Amazon will display instead. Additionally, when you're in the menu screen, banner ads will be visible. Amazon has stated that the reading experience will remain unchanged, and no ads will appear anywhere else on the device, especially not within the books themselves. The hardware is identical to the 3G and WiFi-only versions, and retail for $25 less than the standard versions.

If you have a growing library of Kindle books, but don't want to keep the Kindle with you everywhere you go to read them, the Kindle library is also available on a growing number of devices via free software. You can read your Kindle books on the PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, Android and Blackberry. You do not have to own a Kindle to purchase books through these applications. Additionally, starting in January of 2011, Amazon updated the Kindle software to allow for book lending between devices, a service the Nook has offered since launch. Restrictions on the service are identical to the Nook's restrictions (ie: the loan period expires after two weeks, a book can only be loaned a single time).

Finally, though it has not yet launched, Amazon has announced that they are joining with the Overdrive system to roll out library lending of ebooks later this summer. There is also a rumor of EPUB support being rolled out, though this may be a conflation with the Overdrive announcement.

Aimed at the professional and student market, the Kindle DX has a much larger display area for those that need a lot of information on screen at once, such as with technical manuals. The Kindle DX also has 3G capabilities, but does not offer a wifi-only version.

It's finally here! The popular NOOK has seen its first major hardware revision (the NOOKcolor doesn't count!) and is it a doozy!

They've stripped away the battery hogging LCD touch screen, and just decided to do away with that whole section of the reader entirely. It's nothing but screen and bezel now, but the eInk screen has remained the same size as the previous model at 6 inches. However, it is now touch sensitive, allowing you to flip pages with the swipe of a finger, and will pop up a keyboard when you want to search for the next book to read.

They have also done away entirely with the 3G capabilities of their previous device, preferring to focus instead on a purely WiFi only experience. This thing is hot shit, and sexy as hell, and if I weren't already a Kindle owner, this would be sorely tempting. As it is, I can't wait to see how Amazon responds with the Kindle 4.

Like the Kindle, the NOOK started with a single 3G capable device, but eventually released a wi-fi only version to drive costs down, and help compete with the Kobo.

The Nook features a 6" eInk screen for reading, but uses a 3.5" LCD color touch screen for navigating menus and your library. Like the Kindle, the Nook has apps available on a number of other devices that allow reading books purchased through the Nook store, even if you lack a Nook reader. The Nook boasts the ability to loan out books to friends and family with Nook devices. Note though that lending is limited to one loan per book, and the loan expires after two weeks. Additionally, Amazon has since included this ability with the Kindle line.

The Nook is frequently updated with firmware updates, and overall Barnes & Noble seems very responsive to customer feedback on the device. This device is being discontinued due to the release of the 2nd generation hardware, though if interested, you can still find them on the market.

Barnes & Noble recently released the first change in the Nook hardware, the NOOKcolor. This seems to be a direct response to the entry of Apple's iPad into the eReader market, and seems to be more of a mini-tablet device instead of a dedicated eReader.

The NOOKcolor does away with the eInk screen altogether, and instead has gone to a 7" full-color LCD touch screen. Full web and e-mail capabilities, along with apps and gaming seem to place this firmly in the "tablet computer" category, but Barnes & Noble is still touting it as an eReader. The device is wifi capable, but does not include a 3G option.

Apple recently released the second generation of its tablet computer, the iPad. Billed as more of a multi-media device than an eReader, it none the less has that feature built in, along with all the other games, music and movie watching capabilities. The iPad features a LCD touch screen, running iOS 4.3. This screen is also its largest drawback, as it reduces battery life to only 10 hours, and for some, reading on an LCD screen induces eye fatigue.

The variations of the iPad are legion. There are three primary sizes, 16GB, 32GB and 64GB. Of those three sizes, there are wifi-only versions, as well as 3G capable versions. The 3G capable versions also are available either through AT&T or Verizon. And of those nine possible models, you can also get it in either black or white, making for 18 possible iPad combinations.

One of the truly stand-out features of the iPad is the fact that it has access to the largest library of books out of all devices available. This is primarily due to the fact that, in addition to the iBookstore, the iPad also has apps for the Kindle and Nook, including access to all the books available to those devices.

Presented as a minimalist alternative to the other eReaders on the market, the Kobo is largely a Canadian device, though it is sold via Borders here in the US. Similar to the newest NOOK, this version of the Kobo forgoes almost all buttons on the device, opting instead for a purely touch-screen experience, via infrared sensors. The screen refresh has been vastly improved, minimizing the refresh rate, making scrolling around the page of a PDF file easy and intuitive.

The Kobo, while owned largely by Indigo Books & Music, is still a separate company, and is not tied to any one book service. As a result, it's sort of the "open source" alternative to the Kindle and NOOK. The Kobo will read both EPUB and PDF files, making it compatible with most 3rd party ebook stores, as well as local libraries that offer ebook lending. The Kobo Touch edition is available in four colors, Lilac, Silver, Blue and Black.

It is unknown at this time what effect, if any, the Chapter 11 filing by Borders will have on the Kobo. Though this revised hardware was released well after the filing, so the effect, if any, will likely be minimal.

This earlier version of the Kobo is available in three colors, Metallic Silver, Pearlized Lilac, and Onyx. Features are largely similar to the other offerings, including a 6" eInk screen, and wifi capabilities, though no 3G version is available.

Like the first generation NOOK, this model has been discontinued, and excess stock is being sold off. If you still want to pick this up, I suggest you go buy it now.

Stock on Sony's eReader line has been drying up for months now, but news on why is difficult to come across. They may be discontinuing their eReader line completely, or they may be gearing up to refresh the series new models soon. I will update this OP with any information as I come across it, but until then, I will leave these entries up and available.

The Sony Reader - Daily Edition

Sony seems to have been in the eReader game the longest out of everybody on this list. The Daily Edition is their most current version of their reader, and as an attempt to catch up on all the features that the Kindle and the Nook brought to the fight. It boasts a 7" touch screen eInk display, along with 3G capabilities.

The entry-level Sony offering. Like the Touch and the Daily, this model offers a full touch screen, and like the touch, no wireless ability. The size is the biggest selling point with this model, as the screen is a mere 5", making it the most compact of the available eReaders.

Posts

Might be worth noting that the Kobo is made by Kobo Inc, its own company independent of any physical stores. Indigo and Borders only sell the device. As far as I know, Kobo merchants like Borders with their own ebook stores are just rebranding Kobo's own store.

It is also, I believe, the most popular ereader brand in Australia and New Zealand, as it's one of only a handful of decent ones available in physical stores (but not for long). My dreams of trying a Kobo Touch before buying it are pretty much crushed by all the Australian Borders and most of the Angus and Robertson chains shutting down their brick-and-mortar operations.

I just received a Kobo for my birthday. It's AWESOME. I never thought I would like it but the eink screen is very cool, and it's quite small. I seriously love the thing. The only problem is finding enough time to read (geez, and I don't even have kids)

I'm pretty happy with the new Nook, although I remain disappointed by the inflated read time statistic they insist on giving out. Still, a damn sight better than the original as far as style and ease of use.

I just received a Kobo for my birthday. It's AWESOME. I never thought I would like it but the eink screen is very cool, and it's quite small. I seriously love the thing. The only problem is finding enough time to read (geez, and I don't even have kids)

i have a bunch, but i converted them into ePub right away and put them on. it was easy and painless and took no time at all using calibre (literally did this 5 minutes after plugging it in with no instructions, very simple). But I can try loading a PDF on and seeing how it goes. Id think it would be scary if you have to pan it manually at all, the screen flicker is pretty gnarly but Ive been told the kobo has a really good screen compared to others as far as refresh rate.

Any opinions on which covers / lights for the Kobo touch are best, and which to avoid? I bought one yesterday, and stood there debating whether to pick up a leather case with a built-in light for a good 10 minutes, but ended up walking out with just the Kobo. And of course, I totally regret not picking it up now.

Anyway, after setting it up, throwing some books on it, and starting to flip through the tutorial, the first words out of girlfriend's mouth after "what's that?" was "can I hold it?" Suffice to say, I didn't get it back for a good long while. I see a second Kobo in my future.

Certain features seem a little wonky though, like text selection for using the dictionary. It seems disabled in all the epubs I already have access to. Does it only work for books purchased through the Kobo store?

i have a bunch, but i converted them into ePub right away and put them on. it was easy and painless and took no time at all using calibre (literally did this 5 minutes after plugging it in with no instructions, very simple). But I can try loading a PDF on and seeing how it goes. Id think it would be scary if you have to pan it manually at all, the screen flicker is pretty gnarly but Ive been told the kobo has a really good screen compared to others as far as refresh rate.

You can convert pdfs with calibre and view them in a specific format like kindle output, even if you don't own such a device.

parsing pdfs is a pain. you can try some pdf formatters where you can define boxes to parse for multi-column articles. I just don't bother with convert and view the PDF fit-to-width (and rotating screen display), like this.

Alegis on June 2011

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TOGSolidI didn't choose the tiki life, the tiki life chose meInside a bottle of rumRegistered Userregular

i have a bunch, but i converted them into ePub right away and put them on. it was easy and painless and took no time at all using calibre (literally did this 5 minutes after plugging it in with no instructions, very simple). But I can try loading a PDF on and seeing how it goes. Id think it would be scary if you have to pan it manually at all, the screen flicker is pretty gnarly but Ive been told the kobo has a really good screen compared to others as far as refresh rate.

The 3rd gen Kindle reads .PDFs just fine. I have a lot of books on .pdf and the only issue I've had on the Kindle is that there doesn't seem to be anyway to resize the pages so if you load it up and the page is just too damn tiny then you're kinda hosed, but that's been an issue exactly once for me and it was when I was trying to load a scanned copy of the MVC3 guide (I do own a physical copy of the guide, I just wanted to see how it'd play out on the Kindle) onto it. A regular sized book works a-ok on the Kindle. No converting required.

So how's the iPad as a reader long-term? I will be getting an iPad soon and was wondering what they're like to read for hours at a stretch etc.?

Basically like reading on a computer, especially if you have one of those glass-covered screens (like on a Mac, for instance). Some people don't mind it, others find it annoying, and no matter what you're not going to have much luck when the sun is shining on it and being reflected into your eyes.

So how's the iPad as a reader long-term? I will be getting an iPad soon and was wondering what they're like to read for hours at a stretch etc.?

Basically like reading on a computer, especially if you have one of those glass-covered screens (like on a Mac, for instance). Some people don't mind it, others find it annoying, and no matter what you're not going to have much luck when the sun is shining on it and being reflected into your eyes.

Also, the lack of physical buttons is kind of annoying ergonomics-wise for long stretches of reading. Or at least is on smaller idevices.

New firmware for the Kobo Touch has sideloadable fonts and downloading of ebooks through the browser. Some guy at MobileRead got his downloading books from Calibre on his desktop through wifi. I've just lost 150 dollars.

So how's the iPad as a reader long-term? I will be getting an iPad soon and was wondering what they're like to read for hours at a stretch etc.?

Basically like reading on a computer, especially if you have one of those glass-covered screens (like on a Mac, for instance). Some people don't mind it, others find it annoying, and no matter what you're not going to have much luck when the sun is shining on it and being reflected into your eyes.

When I had my iPad, I used it quite a lot for reading, and I had no issues with it. I'd read for hours at a stretch without any real fatigue (no more so than reading a normal book for that long anyway). The only real downside is that it was too easy to pop out of iBooks or the Kindle App to check an email or do a little browsing, so I got distracted more easily. Also, forget reading in direct sunlight. It's doable, but not fun.

I ended up selling it, but not because it was lacking as an eReader. I have a 3rd Gen Kindle now, but I'd have no problem going back to the iPad either.

So how's the iPad as a reader long-term? I will be getting an iPad soon and was wondering what they're like to read for hours at a stretch etc.?

Basically like reading on a computer, especially if you have one of those glass-covered screens (like on a Mac, for instance). Some people don't mind it, others find it annoying, and no matter what you're not going to have much luck when the sun is shining on it and being reflected into your eyes.

On the other hand I cannot read a Kindle 2 (can't speak for other eInk readers) in marginal lighting, whereas I can with either paper or the iPad. While I don't necessarily get eyestrain from reading on an iPad (I read a lot on computer screens) for extended periods of time I much prefer extended book reading bouts on the Kindle: it looks better and seems to require less "work" from my eyes.

Edit: Is there a way to read Kindle books on the Nook? Like does the Nook have a Kindle app or something, or do you have to export off the Kindle in some way and then import to Nook?

So how's the iPad as a reader long-term? I will be getting an iPad soon and was wondering what they're like to read for hours at a stretch etc.?

Basically like reading on a computer, especially if you have one of those glass-covered screens (like on a Mac, for instance). Some people don't mind it, others find it annoying, and no matter what you're not going to have much luck when the sun is shining on it and being reflected into your eyes.

On the other hand I cannot read a Kindle 2 (can't speak for other eInk readers) in marginal lighting, whereas I can with either paper or the iPad. While I don't necessarily get eyestrain from reading on an iPad (I read a lot on computer screens) for extended periods of time I much prefer extended book reading bouts on the Kindle: it looks better and seems to require less "work" from my eyes.

Edit: Is there a way to read Kindle books on the Nook? Like does the Nook have a Kindle app or something, or do you have to export off the Kindle in some way and then import to Nook?

As far as I know, books bought from Amazon for the Kindle have DRM in them so they can only be read by the Kindle(s) attached to that account. I can't speak for the book format itself; I think it's a modified .mobi file or some such, not sure, but with the DRM I can't imagine it matters.

I'm thinking of replacing my ancient PRS500 for a Kindle in a few weeks, but getting actual data on the device is difficult at Amazon. Instead of telling me things like what storage capacity it has, it just brags on and on about how it has double the capacity of the Kindle's last iteration. Well, how am I to know what the previous Kindle had for storage? Two times 1GB is still a shitty 2GB.

So, does anyone know? Also, oddly for Sony, who are in love with proprietary and closed systems, there's an SD card slot in my current e-reader which is great for added storage. Does the Kindle offer any similar option?

Rohan on June 2011

...and I thought of how all those people died, and what a good death that is. That nobody can blame you for it, because everyone else died along with you, and it is the fault of none, save those who did the killing.

I'm aware, I have a 2gb sd card in my PRS500 atm. But I'm not one to upgrade just because a new iteration of hardware is out, so I'm concerned about the storage of closed e-readers like the Kindle over years. But 4gb is pretty good. Cheers man.

Rohan on June 2011

...and I thought of how all those people died, and what a good death that is. That nobody can blame you for it, because everyone else died along with you, and it is the fault of none, save those who did the killing.

Edit: Is there a way to read Kindle books on the Nook? Like does the Nook have a Kindle app or something, or do you have to export off the Kindle in some way and then import to Nook?

No, there's no way outside of some kind of hack that I'm unaware of. They're two completely different stores, with two completely different DRM schemes. If you want to read both Kindle and Nook books, you'll need to get an iPad.

I'm thinking of replacing my ancient PRS500 for a Kindle in a few weeks, but getting actual data on the device is difficult at Amazon. Instead of telling me things like what storage capacity it has, it just brags on and on about how it has double the capacity of the Kindle's last iteration. Well, how am I to know what the previous Kindle had for storage? Two times 1GB is still a shitty 2GB.

So, does anyone know? Also, oddly for Sony, who are in love with proprietary and closed systems, there's an SD card slot in my current e-reader which is great for added storage. Does the Kindle offer any similar option?

There's an amazing OP with all kinds of technical information on these devices.

Edit: Is there a way to read Kindle books on the Nook? Like does the Nook have a Kindle app or something, or do you have to export off the Kindle in some way and then import to Nook?

No, there's no way outside of some kind of hack that I'm unaware of. They're two completely different stores, with two completely different DRM schemes. If you want to read both Kindle and Nook books, you'll need to get an iPad.

Or an Android tablet. Which, you might want to add some information about those to the OP if you're going to include the iPad.

The Kobo Touch seems to have some stability issues from what I can tell. I love it for the most part, but I had to do a factory reset within days of buying it due to software corruption that blocked synching, and buying from the store over wifi seemed to have hard crashed the Kobo a few times today. Synching through the Kobo desktop software fixed the wifi update crashing issue, but I'm wary of using the on device store at all at this point, since I don't want to risk another corruption wipe.

Edit: Is there a way to read Kindle books on the Nook? Like does the Nook have a Kindle app or something, or do you have to export off the Kindle in some way and then import to Nook?

No, there's no way outside of some kind of hack that I'm unaware of. They're two completely different stores, with two completely different DRM schemes. If you want to read both Kindle and Nook books, you'll need to get an iPad.

Or an Android tablet. Which, you might want to add some information about those to the OP if you're going to include the iPad.

Honestly though, I think the hard part there is that there are a ton of options already for Android tablets, so it'd be tough to list all of them. I've read that the Galaxy Tab 10 is probably the best contender right now, so if anything that would be a good option for inclusion. Also, the nook Color is basically an Android tablet itself, isn't it?

I should have done more research before assuming that I'd be saving money by switching to ebooks! So bummed out.

I've been saving at least a dollar per book that I've bought, but most average around 3 dollars cheaper than the mass market paperbacks I would be buying IRL. Plus, I've picked up tonnes of free books.

There was also the sweet, sweet package deal where I bought books 1-4 of A Song of Ice and Fire for $17 on the Kindle. Four books for $17!

Honestly though, I think the hard part there is that there are a ton of options already for Android tablets, so it'd be tough to list all of them. I've read that the Galaxy Tab 10 is probably the best contender right now, so if anything that would be a good option for inclusion. Also, the nook Color is basically an Android tablet itself, isn't it?

Yeah, you'd probably be better off just writing a summary of what Android tablets can do and linking to the different tablets (Tab 10, Eee Pad, G-Slate, Xoom, etc.) on Amazon and whatnot.

The nook color is an Android tablet, but it is very heavily customized, and unless you root it, it only runs Barnes & Noble approved apps, which means no Kindle support.